Too Close For Comfort: Staples and RadioShack Remove Amazon Lockers From Stores

Friendly gestures evidently only get you so far, and in the cutthroat world known as technology, it appears that RadioShack and Staples are tossing a cold shoulder in the direction of Amazon. As retail locations selling consumer electronics begin to fade, same-day delivery icons like Google and Amazon are beginning to gain major traction. The annoyance of having to visit a store to pick something up (compared to having it appear at one's doorstep) cannot be understated, and in a bid to get those straddling the divide into a B&M location that they may otherwise pass over, Staples and RadioShack previously agreed to install Amazon Lockers in their stores.

For those unaware, Amazon's Locker system is a unique mailbox-type approach to Amazon deliveries. In larger cities, where customers may be close to a retail store during business hours, Lockers allowed an Amazon order to be shipped to that mailbox and held for pickup. But, after consideration, Staples and RadioShack are evidently tired of using their floor space to host Lockers for a direct rival.

Image credit: 37prime.com

Brian Yarbrough, a retail analyst with Edward Jones & Co., explained it this way: "That was a little bit odd, but what they were hoping for was that when customers would come in to pick up stuff from the locker, they would pick up additional items." It can be best assumed that most customers taking advantage of Lockers didn't go out of their way to also buy goods from Staples and RadioShack. Of course, it probably doesn't help matters that these two stores are notorious for overcharging for simple accessories, whereas Amazon offers them at rock-bottom rates.

As of now, Walmart and 7-Eleven are still going strong with the Lockers, so perhaps it's not a dead program altogether.